Helping Primary School Pupils Get into STEM with Esh Group

County Durham Pound associates and social value ambassadors Esh Group empowered over 20,000 primary school pupils across the North East to consider careers in construction, science and technology through the delivery of their Get into STEM workshops and toolkits.

Get into STEM with Esh Group

Since 2015, Esh Group has led this initiative, designed to fit into primary school timetables and curricula whilst shaping career aspirations using toys to develop motor skills, dexterity, and language skills, to introduce Key Stage One children to STEM careers.

In 2024 with the support of the North East Combined Authority’s Ambition Programme, they delivered a further six Get into STEM toolkits for school rotation, and also trained Career Champions within schools to deliver the workshops. Now with a total of nine kits in rotation across the North East, the scheme has delivered 481 sessions since its launch, engaging 20,000 students across 413 schools.

Gillian Ridley from Esh Winning Primary School, Career Champion for County Durham, has been instrumental in providing over 3300 pupils across 43 Durham primary schools in the last academic year alone with access to their Get into STEM toolkits.

Community Resources for County Durham Primary Schools

Each Get into STEM toolkit contains bright and vibrant resources such as foam bricks, measuring equipment, and personal protective equipment – recognisable items children can engage with on their level that help establish their understanding of the construction industry. Also included are literature and suggested activities to create a fully self-contained session plan which can be adapted or extended to meet the needs of a range of pupils.

With them, schools can deliver a series of interactive extra and cross curricular workshops designed to support the development of fine motor skills and collaborative work while increasing awareness of available career opportunities in the sector. These memorable activities often serve as the children’s first experience with the possibilities of a career in STEM. Engaging with children at this early stage provides them with real-world context for the skillsets they develop in an educational setting, highlighting the importance of maths, science, and technology subjects for future employment routes.

Delivering Social Value for Today and Tomorrow

Esh Group has been a longstanding supporter of social value projects. As a family-founded business, community development is hardwired into their company values, which we can all see is reflected in actions such as the Get into STEM initiative. This particular project not only delivers social value in the short term, but also establishes important legacy planning for lasting communities, client relationships, and future careers in STEM including technology and construction.

Learn more about County Durham Pound’s Partners and Our Commitments, or get in touch.